Credit Reports

Credit repair signs pop up all over, advertising help for those with bad credit histories starting at just $99.95 per month. Are these services legitimate, or are you being lured into a scam? Here’s what you need to know. Some credit repair companies are scams, but not all are illegitimate. The FTC has charged many unscrupulous credit repair organizations with deceptive business practices, forcing such companies to shut down their …Read More

Women are encouraged to obtain credit in their own name As we recognize Women’s History Month. the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) examines the evolution of credit as it relates to women, and encourages women to take advantage of the credit opportunities available to them today to establish credit in their own name. Many young women have never known a time when credit was not available to them, but …Read More

A new tax year is upon us, and that means it’s time to take full stock of your finances — for better or for worse. Yearly budgets should be evaluated, your wallet of credit cards should be audited, and you should perform your annual credit report checks (which you can do for free once a year through AnnualCreditReport.com.) Depending on how long it’s been since you did, well, any …Read More

Q. I submitted a request for an online personal loan and that kept sending me to different loan companies and they failed to tell me that all of them would be pulling my credit score and now my score lost 51 plus points in 3 days. Help me, please. Dear reader, Seeing your credit score drop so quickly can be intimidating, especially if you are actively looking for new credit. …Read More

A common question people often ask is, “How can I improve my credit?” Since credit can impact many things, including: employment, down payments, interest rates, utility deposits, and even car insurance, improving your credit can help you in a lot of ways. With all of the information floating around out there, we want to make sure you have all the correct answers to the questions below! 5 Frequently Asked …Read More

Q. What is a charged off account on my credit report? Dear Reader, Seeing a charged off account on your credit report can be a bit confusing because the term is not self-explanatory. It doesn’t help that “charged off” is used interchangeable with “written off,” which in many scenarios means that the account has been paid off. In this context, charged off refers to an account that has become so …Read More

Q. What is a credit report? Dear reader, A credit report is a very important document used by lenders and financial institutions to make their lending decisions and to set the terms and conditions of any credit they give you. To take control of your finances, it is recommended to review and understand your credit report thoroughly. So, let’s start by discussing the kind of information you will find on …Read More

Dear reader, we all know that credit reports are important. But not many people know what reports look like or how to read the information on them. Understanding a credit report is easier than it seems if you know what to expect when you review your report. Your credit reports are generated by the credit bureaus or consumer reporting agencies, each containing detailed data about your credit behavior. This data …Read More

The credit bureaus are agencies that collect, keep, and maintain consumer’s financial information. They also share and distribute this information in the form of credit reports. There are several credit bureaus or consumer reporting agencies in the U.S., but the most well-known are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. These agencies collect and receive information from credit card companies, lenders, collection agencies, and other businesses who have pre-arranged business relations with them. …Read More

By Meredith Wood There are lots of different ways to say “credit inquiry”— you might hear “credit pull” or “credit check” or even “credit audit.” Terminology might seem unimportant when there are so many words with identical meanings. However, within all of these terms, there is one very important distinction that, if you mix it up, could end up costing you a lot: the difference between a soft and a …Read More